JAMMU: A fresh batch of 1,056 pilgrims undertaking the annual Shri Amarnath Yatra left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Baltal base camp in the early hours of Monday under tight security arrangements.
According to the Joint Police Control Room (JPCR), the 26th batch departed at 2:49 a.m. and comprised 832 male pilgrims, 205 women, two children, 15 sadhus and two sadhvis. No convoy was dispatched for the traditional Pahalgam route.
The pilgrims travelled in a convoy of 46 vehicles, including 24 buses, seven medium motor vehicles (MMVs) and 15 light motor vehicles (LMVs). The convoy was escorted by personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to ensure the safe movement of the pilgrims along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to the Baltal base camp.
Officials said that with the departure of the latest batch, the cumulative number of pilgrims who have left the Jammu base camp for the ongoing Shri Amarnath Yatra this year has risen to 1,40,748.
